


honey you’re familiar (years ago)

by whichlights



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Childhood Friends, Childhood Sweetheart AU, F/F, First Kiss, Why must a fic have plot is it not enough to have astrid and ophelia kiss, starting again and starting over and stuff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-14
Updated: 2020-02-14
Packaged: 2021-02-22 13:46:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 926
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22716988
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/whichlights/pseuds/whichlights
Summary: Astrid and Ophelia meet when they’re kids, and then meet again as adults
Relationships: Astrid/Ophelia Mardun
Kudos: 5





	honey you’re familiar (years ago)

Astrid wandered off during a Harvest’s Close festival while trying to escape Bren and Eodwulf in a game of tag. She ducked behind a stall of candy apples, giggling to herself at her trick. The man working the candy apple booth just raised an eyebrow at her and smiled when she shushed him. She heard pattering little footsteps as her friends ran up to the stall. The owner said, “Why, no, boys, I haven’t seen Astrid. Have you tried over there?”

Astrid heard them run off, and she crawled out back into the street. “Thank you, sir!” She grinned a gap toothed grin. 

“Don’t keep them looking too long,” he warned. “They’d miss you.”

Astrid nodded and skipped off. She would eventually go back and she would win the game, and then they’d play something else. For now, she wanted to explore on her own. 

Blumenthal was a small town, and everyone tended to know everyone. Which was why Astrid found it strange she didn’t recognize the black tiefling girl at the candied nut stall. She looked about Astrid’s age, wearing a very nice coat, and Astrid tried not to stare at her pretty black hair or shiny yellow eyes. 

The girl waved at her, and Astrid waved back. The girl walked up to her, and Astrid walked back. She frowned. “Are you scared of me?”

“My mom says not to talk to strangers,” Astrid muttered. 

“I’m Ophelia. There, we’re not strangers anymore.” She held out her hand. “Besides, when moms say not to talk to strangers, they mean  _ dangerous  _ strangers that will hurt you. I won’t hurt you.”

Astrid shook it. “Okay! I’m Astrid. You’re new.”

“I’m just in town a while. Staying with a friend of a friend of my parents. It’s dangerous outside the Empire right now.”

“You’re from outside the Empire?” Astrid gasped. 

“Yes, but my whole family is from the Zemnian Fields.” 

“So is mine!” Astrid laughed. “Do you want to play ring toss?”

Ophelia, for all her regal manners, gave a gap toothed grin. “Yeah!”

-

Ophelia occasionally left for long stretches of time- “my mother and father are training me in the family business, but it’s too dangerous to stay there all the time” -but in the time she was around Blumenthal, she and Astrid became friends. 

“I want to do more magic,” Astrid said, looking down at her hands, where she had summoned a small glowing light. “Real magic. The kind you learn, and that changes the world.”

“I can do some magic, but that’s because I’m a tiefling. I never had to learn it.” Ophelia blinked at her. “Do you want to go to a magic academy?”

Astrid nodded. “But they all are so exclusive…”

“They’ll let you in on talent,” Ophelia said boldly. “And if they don’t, I’ll bribe them.”

Astrid laughed. “That’s illegal.”

“So is not letting in my best friend.”

Astrid paused at that. “Are we best friends?”

“You’re mine,” Ophelia said. “I don’t have to be yours.”

“I can have more than one best friend. You’re my best friend!”

Ophelia laughed. “Do the light spell again. Make it red this time.”

-

“You’re going to Soltryce?” Ophelia’s yellow eyes were wide. 

Astrid nodded, grinning. “I got in! They think I have a lot of magic potential.”

Ophelia tackled her with a hug. “You did it! You got in!” 

“Did you bribe them?”

“No,” Ophelia said defensively. “That was an idea I had when I was, like, twelve.” 

“Okay.” Astrid held Ophelia’s hand. “I’ll write to you.”

She bit her lip. “I don’t think you’ll be able to.”

“I will.” 

“You’re my best friend.” 

Astrid happened to know she was basically Ophelia’s only friend. “I know.”

Ophelia kissed her on the cheek. “You’re going to do great at magic school. I’ll write to you.”

Astrid kissed her on the mouth. Ophelia laughed. “You  _ like  _ me.”

“I don’t leave for Rexxentrum for a few months,” Astrid mumbled. 

“I don’t leave the Empire for a few months either.”

Astrid squeezed her hand. “Well, then, we’ll just have to…”

“Yeah. For a few months, and then we’ll write.”

“We will absolutely write.”

-

Astrid did not write to Ophelia, and Ophelia did not write to Astrid. 

-

Astrid got out of her cart and stepped towards the Mardun manor house. She was on a mission, she needed to get a contact in Shady Creek, and the Marduns were decidedly the most palatable option. She had sent a message in advance that a representative from Rexxentrum was coming and they’d invited her. 

She nodded to the guards at the door and waited in the foyer. The head of the house is out right now, someone explained. She’ll be back soon. 

Astrid waited. When the door eventually opened, a pretty black tiefling in a fancy coat walked in. “Honestly, the Iron Shepards. I cannot deal with them-“ she turned, saw Astrid, and froze. 

Astrid stayed frozen. “Ophelia,” she whispered. 

“Seize her.” Ophelia said. 

One of the guards grabbed Astrid’s arms. Ophelia’s yellow eyes went wide. “No, I don’t- Astrid. Let her go. I’m sorry.”

The guard let go, keeping an eye on Astrid. She gaped at Ophelia. “You- you lied about your last name.”

“Of course I did,” she said smoothly. “I didn’t know you were the Academy representative.”

“You didn’t write.”

“Neither did you.”

Astrid looked around. “Can we talk?”

“Yes,” Ophelia said quickly. “Yes, yes we can- I- my room?”

Astrid nodded. “I want to know everything.”

Ophelia sized her up. “So do I.”

“I missed you.”

“I missed you, too.”

**Author's Note:**

> my tumblr is witchlightsands my dnd sideblog is genderfluidmollymauks


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